Caderousse's desperate cries echoed through the mansion halls. "Help! Someone help me!"
Monte Cristo rushed toward the sound. "What happened?"
"Help..." Caderousse gasped, blood pooling beneath him. "I've been... murdered..."
"Stay calm. We're here now."
"Too late..." The wounded man's voice weakened. "You came... to watch me die. So much blood..." His eyes rolled back as consciousness slipped away.
Monte Cristo and his servant Ali carefully carried the bleeding man into a nearby room. With a simple gesture, Monte Cristo signaled Ali to remove Caderousse's blood-soaked clothing. As the fabric fell away, the count examined the brutal stab wounds covering the thief's body.
"My God," Monte Cristo whispered, his voice heavy with meaning. "Sometimes divine justice takes its time... but when it arrives, it strikes perfectly."
Ali waited for his next command.
